AFCI breaker constantly trips

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about electrical or wiring. We just moved into a new house (new construction) and the fuse for our master bedroom blows on almost a daily basis. It's a hassle as the fuse box is in the garage, down 3 flights of stairs (and back up). The stupid contractor who built our house (18 months ago) put way too many lights in the master suite. There are 6 recessed lights in the bedroom (on a dimmer) - 14 (!) above the dual sinks in the ensuite bathroom - another 5 others in the bathroom - 2 in the hallway - and a fixture in the walk-in closet with 3 bulbs in it. The fuse box is a "Square D" and it looks like it has 15v going to the master breaker. Is there anything I can do to remedy the constant tripping? I don't want to pull bulbs out as that would look weird, but it's becoming a huge drag. We are very careful to try to not have them on all at once, but sometimes the breaker trips even when we are turning lights off! Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks.

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AFCI breaker constantly trips

First of all, is the breaker an AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter)? If it is, the problem may be more than a simple overload situation.

Second, figure out the total load on the circuit. You can add up the wattage of each light bulb on the circuit plus other loads and divide by 120. That will give you total amperage on the circuit. If it is greater than 15 amps then the circuit is improperly sized for the load. The easiest fix would be to put in lower wattage lamps in each light bring the overall load down to less the 15 amps.

Or you could have a second circuit brought to the area and split the loads over two circuits.

AFCI breaker constantly trips

Thanks to you both for quick replies. So I added up all the lights and it comes out to about 11 after the math. We have a TV and cable box plugged in the room - an alarm clock and at night a "soothing noise machine". So it sounds like the circut isn't necessarily overloaded. Next steps?

AFCI breaker constantly trips

Not in Canada - Seattle WA (close I guess).
I don't know of any new home warranty. The house was built by a private builder (built two houses on a previously empty lot) and we bought it through a real estate agent. Should I contact the agent we bought the house from? From what I understand the builder lost money on the project, but I guess if I'm protected by a warranty, he has to make it right, correct? Thanks.

AFCI breaker constantly trips

Quote:

Originally Posted by gdweaver

based on a quick image search of what an AFCI is, yes it is. (it has a test button next to the switch). How does that change things?

An AFCI breaker does two things. It protects against overloading the wires and is designed to trip when it detects arcing (sparking) within a circuit. It's possible that there is a loose splice somewhere within the circuit. You did note that sometime the breaker trips when you turn off the lights. You could start checking all splices in that area first.

You might want to get an electrician in to do this troubleshooting as they could make an educated guess on where to start.

AFCI breaker constantly trips

No, I never have to push the AFCI reset button, I just flip the breaker switch to reset it. All the bulbs are 60 or 65 watts, but they are not CFL's. My wife hates the light that CFL's put out, especially in the bedroom.

I appreciate everyone's insight and advise and I guess I'll call an electrician...I was just hoping there was an easy fix or something that I was missing.

AFCI breaker constantly trips

IS there an electrician's sticker on the panel box? Oftentimes, an electrician will "sign" his work by putting a promotional sticker on the panel box cover.

Call him first.

Reducing your wattage will lessen the chances of a circuit overload. That TV can easily put your load at or above the maximum, with most of your lights lit.

As for the CFL's -- you can get different color output bulbs for your fixtures.

Most cfl's have 2700K to 3000K color rendition output. This is a feeble attempt by the manufacturers to mimic an incandescent light bulb.

Look for a cfl bulb that has an output of 3500K to 4100K. Personally, I prefer the 3500's. But in some cases the 4000-4100 bulbs (cool white) can appear superior depending on the surrounding colors.

Another alternative is some of the newer LED bulbs. These have come a long way in recent months, and have a nice bright light output. The good ones are a bit pricey, however. I expect the cost of these to drop significantly in the coming months and years.

Now for the AFCI breaker tripping when switching the lights off. If you have a "cheap" quality wall switch, it is possible a brief, but pronounced arc occurs within the switch that the breaker interprets as dangerous, and cuts power to the circuit. Try having the electrician replace any of the problem switches with a new one -- or better yet -- with a heavy-duty model.

Another thing to do here is swap that breaker with a different one in the panel, and see if the problem persists, or moves to the other circuit along with the breaker. If that occurs, you might have to replace the offending breaker.

Edit to add: You are probably out of warranty, since the house was built over a year ago.